WSJ Helps Ryan Bolster The Importance Of The Deficit

As The Wall Street Journal landed a major interview with vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, the newspaper aided his hyping of the deficit as an important issue in the election, despite the fact that the paper's own polling contradicts that idea.

The Journal published an interview[1] today with Ryan, his first since debating Vice President Joe Biden last week. The article says that "Mr. Ryan amplified in the interview some of the thinking he had laid out on deficits, tax changes, and entitlements" during the debate.

In turn, the Journal exaggerated the import voters place on deficit reduction in this election: "The White House race is turning in large measure on competing visions of how to rein in the deficit and bolster economic growth."

But the Journal's own polling shows this is not true. According to a survey[2] released this month by NBC News and the Journal, the economy is by far the top issue in the election, while the deficit is much lower on the list:

Put another way:

Similarly, in an October New York Times[3]/[3]CBS poll[3] of voters in Colorado, Virginia, and Wisconsin, the economy far outpaced the deficit.

When it comes to Ryan and the deficit, the Journal looks to be making a habit of hiding the facts[4].